Discourse, Power, and Social Work: Using the Tragic Death of a Young Girl in Taiwan as the Starting Point for Investigation

Social workers are the primary professionals who specialize in social work. Similar to other social actors, the social workers infer numerous discourses based on the effect of power. The purpose of this study was to construct... [ view full abstract ]

Social workers are the primary professionals who specialize in social work. Similar to other social actors, the social workers infer numerous discourses based on the effect of power. The purpose of this study was to construct a suitable framework for the social work field to critique discourses by interpreting, comprehending, and reflecting the theory and methodology of critical discourse analysis (CDA). We aimed to then implement this framework to elucidate and reveal which discourses influence social workers, as well as the manner in which the influence is exerted. Only through such elucidation and revelation can social workers rediscover their personal subjectivity, thereby allowing resistance, that is, strategies for resistance, to occur. This study comprises 2 phases. The first phase involves understanding the essence and limitations of CDA by interpreting, comprehending, and reflecting this model and developing an analytical framework. The second phase involves applying the analytical framework to analyze the tragic death of a young girl in Taiwan in April 2010, which served as the subject for investigation. Analysis of this incident was conducted for CDA and to determine the significance of this analytical framework for the knowledge production and professional practice of social work.